Language skills 'needed' for graduate jobs abroad

Those looking for graduate jobs in the international market could be at a disadvantage if they do not have the necessary linguistics skills, says one expert.

Kathryn Board, chief executive of CILT, the National Centre for Languages, was responding to a report by the British Academy, which claimed the UK's research base could be affected by the lack of graduates with language skills.

Ms Board commented that a second language was imperative to have a competitive edge when applying for graduate jobs abroad and that it is "more important than ever" that young people learn one.

She said: "British graduates without language skills will find themselves at a disadvantage in the international jobs market."

Sonja Stockton, head of recruitment at PricewaterhouseCoopers, recently told Personnel Today that it would be a concern if university leavers did feel the need to look abroad as there are graduate jobs available in the UK.